"Unthink?" Really?

This week we'd like to discuss the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) marketing campaign that's been going on for the past few months. I hope the ad exec that came up with this one got a cookie, because they sure deserve it. The tagline being used in the newer ads is "unthink," which they probably mean to be taken as "think differently about kfc chicken," because KFC is trying to promote their new chicken that's grilled instead of fried. This supposedly makes it healthier. Really KFC? If its so much healthier why do you give the serving size of each menu item in grams on your nutrition chart? For example, on the PDF download of their nutrition chart, the serving size for wings is 48. To the average person this might appear as though 48 wings had only 140 calories and 8 grams of fat. In reality, these nutrition facts probably apply to a serving size of 1-2 wings. Even considering that, someone might say, "oh that still isn't that bad." When you inspect the nutrition chart further, you can see that about half the calories per serving for a majority of the menu items come from fat, meaning that there is still much more fat in the food (though it may not be "trans fat") than is good for you. Add to that the fact that we had to do a little digging to find this chart, and things begin to look a little suspicious. Maybe KFC wants us to "unthink" eating healthy, and just cram their chicken down our throats without asking questions. Ad is posted below.

My name is RAM, and this is me being deep.

Hello again all, this week the focus of our attention here at Truth In Advertising will be one of the latest advertisements for the Dodge RAM truck. This commercial, while very aesthetically well done, is yet another example of the way advertisers have always been trying to create a lifestyle around the products that they sell to us. The ad starts off with a picture of the RAM's grill and the voiceover coming in with, "My name is RAM, and my tank is full." Thats deep Dodge. Really. The quaint little haiku stylings of the voiceover man continue: "I am all brawn, all brains, built to overachieve..." et cetera, et cetera. As this goes on, masculine imagery is flashed across the screen to of course appeal to the key truck-buying demographic of middle aged men. Things like a welder hard at work, a picture of calloused and dirty hands, and a RAM with a bed full of heavy block-like objects are included in this mini eyeball-parade of the macho. The no-nonsense tone and sound of the narrator's voice brings a subconscious reinforcement of the no-nonsense image Dodge wishes to cultivate with this advertisement. All of these elements together are no doubt intended to invoke feelings of pride within and for the American working class and create an emotional attachment to their vehicle. And yet for all that, all the red, white and blue patriotism in the world couldn't get me to pay 150 dollars for a tank of gas. The ad is posted below.